Tips to Improve your recruitment strategy during covid
Are you looking to hire new talent in your business? Do you have a hiring plan in place? Are you prepared enough? Do you know what you need to do before you advertise and start recruiting?
A downturn in revenue has forced many companies to let their staff go. However, some industries have managed to grow and are still hiring. Data shows that there is a surge in job applications; ‘4079 applications for one role’. With the number of applications received for every job advertised – it’s a big task for recruiters.
As Melbourne starts to come out of lockdown, we know that many business owners are eagerly waiting to rebound and get their businesses up and running. We foresee that one of the biggest issues will be recruitment. Because the challenge lies in finding the candidate that has all the right skillsets (competencies) and the right behaviours to help your company grow.
In situations like this, many companies will recruit too quickly using the eyeball theory ‘You look good’ and then pay for the consequences later on. They will also cut short or fail on the induction process which normally results in costly mistakes, confusion and anger.
Below are 5 tips to help you prevent costly mistakes when recruiting:
- Create or update the Position Description and ensure it clearly outlines the key duties, as well as experience and skills required. (This now may have changed with covid?)
- Have you budgeted for the role? Think about how much you are willing to pay for the right person. (Remember JobKeeper is reducing)
- Start thinking about employee induction, and a plan for the first few weeks. Do you have a buddy system? What do they need to know on the first day? The first week? (You will also need to think about remote induction)
- Ensure you have the necessary equipment and tools for the new employee to start work. Will they need a phone, a laptop, a car? (Even if working from home, what is your plan?)
- Think about the best medium to recruit. Internally? Seek? LinkedIn? What job boards are the candidates of your industry looking at? (What is your strategy to get the best candidate?)
Then there is the process of placing your job ad, screening applicants, following a structured and thorough interview process which should then deliver you the outcome you are expecting. I’m sure that many business owners think that during a pandemic they will get a bargain i.e. more talent for less cost, and this maybe true, but you need to think on a long-term basis. Staff turnover comes at a huge cost so you need to get this right with a happy medium that is a win-win for you, your company, your customers and of course your new candidate that you are about to invest in.
During this pandemic, we have seen many companies drift away not only from a recruitment perspective, but also from onboarding and induction perspective, and unfortunately it comes down to following the key points:
- Lack of planning for the role (as per our 5 key points above)
- Lack of understanding for what the business now needs
- Lack of time in preparation, interviewing, selecting the right candidate
- Lack of process for induction and communication
- Lack of documentations – signed PD’s, employment contracts, and all other necessary paperwork
If you need help in recruiting staff, KBA can help you to do it better. Join me on our next FREE webinar ‘How to get your recruitment and induction on track for better employee engagement during covid-19’
Remember lack of time and preparation can be costly and you need to know exactly what you need and want, and how much you are prepared to pay. At KBA we offer fixed cost recruitment services, where we support you with the admin side of things such as phone screening, filtering out the candidates or we can also help with an end-to-end recruitment process. Speak to us to know more about our Recruitment Services. We are very passionate about helping companies to grow, and with this COVID-19, we know how to support companies so that they can excel in the current environment.
Useful Information
FREE Checklists:
- How to recruit new staff
- How to manage applicants effectively
- Returning to work after COVID-19
- Recruitment Services
If you would like help or want to know more about our services, please contact us at Key Business Advisors on 1300 4 ADVICE
